Ridgefield police seek man in van

John Pirro

Updated 11:14 pm, Thursday, April 17, 2014

RIDGEFIELD -- Police are investigating a report that a man in his 50s driving a white van approached a 9-year-old boy outside his home Wednesday, the third suspicious occurrence involving a vehicle of that description and a child since March.

The latest incident occurred on Settlers Lane about 4:45 p.m., according to Capt. Jeff Kreitz, spokesman for Ridgefield police.

The boy said the man parked the van in the road, got out, and yelled for the boy "to come over to him." Instead, the child ran into his house, and the man in the van left the area, Kreitz said.

Kreitz said the intentions of the unidentified man "are not known at this time," but the department is working with area towns where similar incidents have been reported to see if there is a connection.

The man in the Ridgefield case was described as a balding white male in his 50s, with a mustache and beard. He was wearing plain blue shorts, a plain black T-shirt and reading glasses, police said.

The boy said the van was a newer model, white work van, with no rear windows and no ladder rack or other exterior markings.

A similar incident, on Putnam Park Road in Bethel, was reported March 3.

In that case, the middle school girl who was approached described the driver as a white male in his 30s, 5-feet, 10-inches tall, with a medium build.

The van was a white Ford Econoline-type in decent shape, with a single window on the side, Bethel Police Capt. David Bruckenthal said.

On March 18, a man in a white van attempted to speak with a Redding middle school student who was waiting for her bus on Church Hill Road, according to Redding police.

The driver was described as a clean-shaven white male in his 20s, and the van was dirty and had a ladder rack, police said.